I spent a weekend on a Boy Scout campout last month.

(Yes, it was January in Chicago, and we were outside in tents from Friday night until Sunday morning. The temperature ranged from 13° F to 34° F – so it was cold but not life-threatening.)

One of the things I love about the Boy Scouts program is that the boys do everything.

The dads drive the car to the campground, but the boys are in charge after that. They set up their tents, cook meals, wash dishes, and plan activities. The dads take care of their own meals and activities. Then everyone packs up on Sunday, and the dads drive the kids home.

It’s a joy to watch their competence and agency grow year by year.

Doing dishes in the cold

Some of these boys don’t do many dishes at home; none do them outside when it’s 20° F! So when we washed up Saturday night, some whined and moaned. One of the younger scouts started to fall apart as his hands got cold from going in and out of the water.

I watched as one of the older scouts helped him warm up but then directed him back to the dishes with the phrase, “Remember, you can do hard things.”

The older scout delivered that line with gentleness and firmness. The message was clear: you aren’t getting out of this just because it’s hard.

I immediately thought, “I could use that line with some younger staff members.” (I’ll bet you could, too.)

My second thought was, “I can also do hard things.”

What hard things are you avoiding?

You can do those things. You have it in you. You’ve done a lot of hard things to get here. I believe in you.